At CUNY, Concerns That Overhaul of the Curriculum May Erode Academic Gains

(New York Times) — For as long as anyone can remember, students who have tried to transfer within the City University of New York system — from, say, acommunity college to a four-year school — have run into delays or denials in getting their course credits accepted. Many have wound up spending additional time and money to secure their degree, while others have simply given up. Now the university has proposed a major overhaul that would guarantee the smooth transfer of credits by creating a common framework for general education courses — a so-called core curriculum — at all of its two- and four-year colleges. It would also reduce the number of core credits needed for graduation at virtually all of the four-year colleges. But for many faculty members at CUNY, the plan collides with the university’s defining effort during that same period: raising admission and academic standards at its 11 four-year senior colleges.